Alaska’s Joint Army-Air Force Base Promotes, Sponsors First Drag Queen Event for Families, Children

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Using federal tax dollars, Alaska’s Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) is promoting a “family event” involving drag queens and the transgender “Rev. Drew Phoenix” – formerly Ann Gordon – who made national headlines over her sex change and effort to keep her Methodist credentials several years ago.

The base’s first drag queen event, published on JBER’s official Facebook page, announces “special drag performances by: Hank and Callie”:

The full post continues:

Apparently, the military base believes that this is a family-friendly event, stating that “family members are encouraged to attend.”

The military base’s efforts to promote the LGBT agenda has drawn a sharp reaction from service members. The comments on the military installation’s Facebook page are overwhelmingly opposed to the event and the efforts of the military brass to characterize it as “family” appropriate. Here are just a few of the comments:

The keynote speaker for the event – the so-called “Reverend Drew Phoenix” – told the annual United Methodist Church conference in 2007 that, “My transition to live fully as the male I know myself to be is very personal and deeply spiritual,” Phoenix told the annual conference. “As I continue to transition, to fully claim myself as a male, I find myself coming home to the child God created me to be. I find myself joyful, whole, and peaceful. And I find myself even more effective as a pastor.”

Walt Heyer, another individual who lived the transgender lifestyle and actually went through a surgical gender reassignment surgery – and then regretted it – fundamentally disagrees with the former Rev. Ann Gordon, and the efforts of the U.S. Military to promote transgenderism as “normal”:

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Has an On-Air Freak out Over ‘Nightmare’ Happening in Alaska [+video]

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Photo Credit: Facebook Last week, there were multiple reports of the frightening-looking arctic lamprey falling from the skies over Alaska like something out of the cult classic, “Sharknado.” And once MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow caught a glimpse of them, she lost it.

Despite its scary appearance, the arctic lamprey is not a danger to people, and how it ended up far from home has a logical explanation.

The state’s Department of Fish and Game says birds are the likely reason the arctic lampreys have been found in backyards and in areas far away from waters where they typically live. From the state agency’s Facebook page: ”The answer is probably gulls. Gulls are picking them out of the Chena River with their bills and then dropping the squirming critters while in flight.” (Read more from “MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Has an On-Air Freak out Over ‘Nightmare’ Happening in Alaska” HERE)

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Juneau’s Boneless Chicken Ranch Caucus

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Pink slips- ten thousand were recently mailed out to nervous state employees that could take effect July 1st. The state budget storm clouds darkening Alaska’s horizon can be attributed to the Boneless Chicken Ranch Caucus made up of State House Representatives Jim Colver (R), Gabrielle LeDoux (R), Paul Seaton (R), Bryce Edgmon (D), Neal Foster (D), and Louise Stutes (R) who signed a letter sent to House Speaker Mike Chenault refusing to vote to fund the budget out of the Earnings Reserve per our state constitution. What caused the members of the House Majority Caucus to turn invertebrate and not fund the budget? The politics of perception.

This story is complicated if you will bear with me a little as we do a quick dive into the weeds. Alaska has three savings accounts. The first is called the Statutory Budget Reserve (SBR). It can be accessed with a simple majority vote and was fully depleted over the last three years to fund Alaska’s multibillion dollar annual deficits. The second account is called the Constitutional Budget Reserve (CBR) which has about $10 Billion in it that can only be accessed by a ¾ supermajority vote. The State Senate has the votes to access this plump account whereas the State House does not. To get the necessary number of votes in the State House, the minority caucus wants to spend another $100 million on varies areas including a public union a cost of living (COLA) pay increase and Medicaid expansion- hence the stalemate.

There is a third savings account accessible with a simple majority vote called the Earnings Reserve (ER). This account was setup when the Alaska State Constitution was amended in 1976 by Alaska Governor Jay Hammond to set up a perpetual annuity for the citizens of Alaska and to fund state government when oil revenue started to wane. Every year a portion of oil revenue is deposited into the Permanent Fund (PF) that is fund surrounded by constitutional razor wire and is therefore unspendable by the state legislature and has about $54 Billion in financial assets. The interest generated from PF is deposited into the separate Earnings Reserve (ER) account. The Alaska State Constitution in Article 9, Section 15 says, “All income from the permanent fund shall be deposited in the general fund unless otherwise provided by law.” The “otherwise provided for by law” provisions for the Earnings Reserve are to payout our annual dividend checks and to inflation proof the principal of the PF (which was big consideration back in 1976 when double-digit inflation was decimating savings accounts). Today there is approximately $6.4 Billion in the ER account.

“I wanted to transform oil wells pumping oil for a finite period into money wells pumping money for infinity.” – Governor Jay Hammond, father of the Alaska Permanent Fund and the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend

Enter politics- the house minority caucus wants to keep the debate focused on tapping the Constitutional Budget Reserve (CBR) to fund our $3.1 Billion FY2016 deficit because they can extract financial concessions in exchange for their votes. A simple majority vote to tap the ER would render their additional spending cries mute. Hence, they and their supporters in the media have opened up a public relations smear campaign on the majority caucus implying they would be spending the principal of the PF (which of course is a blatant untruth). Everyone knows Alaskans love their PF and just being associated with spending it crosses all party lines and is political suicide. This threat was enough scare the bones out of the chicken caucus into a clucking feathered morass and hence- our present budget impasse. So what if they ignore the budget solution set forth in the Alaska State Constitution they took a solemn oath to uphold- all politics is perception, and good perception is the key to political longevity. Many political groups are not fooled by these political machinations and will be raising PAC money to fire up the deep fryer to give them the Colonial Sanders treatment in the upcoming 2016 election. However, I digress.

Oh it gets even better. House Bill 2002 is gaining support to avoid paying the ransom demanded by the minority caucus to access the CBR and for avoiding getting their image getting sullied by the minority with a deliberate mistruth. There is a rule that would allow the CBR to be accessed with a simple majority vote if the state were in a cash crisis. How about artificially creating one by dumping the ER into the PF? HB2002 would transfer $4.9B of the ER into the PF to access the CBR this year. Next year, a further $1.5B would be transferred to access it again for a total of $6.4B transferred. Instant problem solved. Oh really?

Most moderates in the center are gathering around this politically expedient path of least resistance where politicians tend to congregate and cluck. This idea is horrendous to those on the far left and the far right. It would instantly deplete 40% of Alaska’s accessible cash reserves, threaten our state bond rating, and bring Brad Keithley’s much warned about “fiscal cliff” closer from 3 years to 2. On the left, tens of thousands of state employee jobs, Governor Walker’s natural gas line, and public programs could face the axe when Alaska runs out of cash much sooner and can’t tax enough to fund them. On the right, massive new state income taxes and industry killing oil taxes could arrive much faster if profligate spending can’t be wound down fast enough- and this year’s legislature is a very bad omen. Those dreamers who think that this stunt will force state austerity sooner without the accompanying crippling state taxes- I have a fully funded natural gas line to sell them. HB2002 would be politically expedient if not financial self-immolation to both the left and the right.

I support the straight ER draw per the Alaska State Constitution despite the inevitable political smearing that would come from the house minority. Elected servants forget that it is not about them and their reelection- it’s about the good of the Alaskan citizens whom they represent. The State House is wrapped around the axle about this smear threat because they are up for reelection in 2016 whereas the State Senate is not.

There is a great long-term solution that avoids unnecessary state layoffs, doesn’t require any new taxes, and preserves the current Permanent Fund principal and dividend check amounts indefinitely. It requires reducing annual state spending to $4.5B (currently about $5.3B is being debated by the State House to spend in FY2016 beginning July 1st, down from $6.2B spent last year). The University of Alaska Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) think tank has calculated that Alaska can spend $4.5B per year indefinitely without instituting any new taxes or reducing the PFD check. That number comes from approximately $2.2B in state revenue plus an annual draw from our ER annuity. The solution is pretty simple and was written into our state constitution.

If you feel strongly about this issue, please contact your state legislator. Thousands of state layoffs and a state bond rating downgrade could occur on July 1st if they don’t hear from you. Please call, write, fax, or email at: [email protected].

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Alaska Air Offers Major Airfare Discounts for Transgender, Bisexual and Gay People, but Forget Funeral Attendees…

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Photo Credit: The Daily Caller Are you gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender? Do you want to travel to a bunch of gay pride festivals throughout the United States? If you answered yes to these questions, Alaska Airlines is currently offering exciting discounts on air travel for you.

“At Alaska, we have been longtime supporters of the LGBT community and remain committed to a more equitable society,” an Alaska Air webpage entitled “We Share Your Love of Travel” boasts.

One image on the page feature a trio of shirtless dudes standing under some palm trees. Another shows two women nearly embracing while drinking coffee. A third shows a couple of happy men wearing snazzy denim and holding fancy glasses of alcohol.

“We were elated when the State of Washington expressed the same commitment by legalizing marriage for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity,” the Alaska Air webpage explains. “To show our continued support we are encouraging the LGBT community to travel, not only to Seattle, but to Pride events and gay friendly destinations all over the country.”

Gay travelers can enjoy discounts of fully 10 percent for airfare to a handful of destinations hosting gay and lesbian celebrations. These gay vacation hotspots include Portland (Northwest Pride, June 13-14), Seattle (Seattle Pride, June 27-28) and San Diego (San Diego Pride, July 17-20). (Read more from “Alaska Air Offers Major Airfare Discounts for Gay People” HERE)

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Senior Air Force NCO Dies in Fairbanks

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By Jeff Schogol. A chief master sergeant at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, was found dead Saturday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to an Alaska newspaper.

Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Wendt’s body was discovered in the Chena Lake Recreation Area and investigators have ruled out foul play, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported Tuesday.

Wendt has served as group superintendent of the 354th Operations Group at Eielson since September, according to his official biography. During his 27-year military career, he has deployed to Iraq, Kosovo, the Philippines, Honduras and Japan.

In Okinawa, Wendt worked as an American Forces Network broadcaster, giving the weather forecasts each night to more than 50,000 troops and civilians, his biography says.

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations has launched an investigation into Wendt’s death, said Chief Master Sgt. Michael Brown, the command chief master sergeant for the 354th Fighter Wing. Brown declined to discuss details of the investigation. (Read more from “Senior Air Force NCO Dies in Fairbanks” HERE)

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Coroner: Air Force Academy Cadet, Mother Killed Themselves

By Associated Press. Investigators say a woman whose body was found in a remote open space killed herself about two weeks after her son stabbed himself to death in his dorm room at the Air Force Academy.

The El Paso County Coroner’s Office released its findings Wednesday in the deaths of 21-year-old Alexandre Quiros and his mother, 45-year-old Ksenia Quiros. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Armstrong Announces Significant Discoveries on Alaska’s North Slope

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Photo Credit: Pennenergy Two Nanushuk wells were tested this year, including the Qugruk 8 (Q-8) vertical well, which tested a small portion of the net pay zone and flowed 30 degree API gravity crude at rates of up to 2,160 barrels of oil per day (BOPD). The Qugruk 301 (Q-301), two miles north of Q-8, tested a 2,000 foot horizontal lateral. The well flowed at tubing constrained rates as high as 4,600 BOPD with minimal bottom hole pressure drawdown.

In the East Alpine field, two new penetrations were completed in the Alpine Formation, adding to the previous two penetrations. Three of these wells have encountered oil productive Alpine sand in excess of 95 feet thick at a depth of 6500 feet with porosities ranging from 15% to 25%. Well control and seismic data indicates the oil pool covers an area in excess of 15,000 acres . . .

The activity to date since the beginning of exploration has resulted in the discovery of several oil fields on the North Slope of Alaska. All 16 wells (including sidetracks) drilled by the consortium have found hydrocarbons, most with multiple pay zones. In the Nanushuk reservoir, the consortium has drilled seven appraisal wells to date and has proven an oil pool that covers more than 25,000 acres, at a depth of 4,100 feet, with an oil column of 650+ feet, and up to 150 feet of net pay with an average porosity of 22%. (Read more from “Armstrong Announces Significant Discoveries on Alaska’s North Slope” HERE)

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Alaska’s Famous Ice Road Closed Due to Extreme Flooding

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Photo Credit: international Business Times Traffic along Alaska’s famous Dalton Highway has stalled at a time when hundreds of truckers would typically be transporting critical supplies to the state’s northern oil fields. The highway known as the Ice Road in the popular History channel series “Ice Road Truckers” is the only overland route to these lucrative operations, but the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities closed a stretch of the road this week due to extreme flooding. The road is covered by up to 2 feet of water in places and the agency expects it will remain closed for four days to a week.

Earlier this spring, the Dalton was closed for a week when overflow from the Sagavanirktok River froze on the roadway in thick layers of ice. On an average day, at least 100 truckers travel the corridor — it runs more than 400 miles from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay — to supply more than a dozen companies including ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips and BP that operate at nearby oil fields. (Read more from “Alaska’s Famous Ice Road Closed Due to Extreme Flooding” HERE)

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Alaska Medicaid Expansion Would Significantly Increase Taxpayer-Funded Abortions

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baby-cute-pictures-17This morning the Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI), the education and research arm of the national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List, published a new paper examining how expansion of the Medicaid program in Alaska will significantly increase the number of abortions in the state. The analysis comes as the Alaska legislature considers a law that would expand Medicaid enrollment.

Alaska is one of 17 states that funds abortion through Medicaid. According to CLI Associate Scholar Michael J. New, Ph.D. who authored the paper, the expansion would increase the state abortion rate in at least four ways. The expansion will:

• Add between 10,000 and 15,000 women of childbearing age onto the program, which already funds a high percentage of abortions in Alaska.

• Result in more Medicaid-eligible women leaving non-abortion-covering insurance plans to enroll in the abortion-covering Medicaid program.

• End the incentive for women to carry their children to term since an expansion would allow for childless low-income women who seek an abortion to remain on Medicaid.

• Increase the amount of taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider whose Alaska affiliates perform a substantial amount of the state’s abortions.

The full text of the new paper may be found here.

“Alaska already has one of the highest rates of publicly funded abortions in the country,” said Chuck Donovan, president of the Charlotte Lozier Institute. “Expanding the Medicaid program will encourage and incentivize abortion for low-income women and further devalue life in the state. Overall, Dr. New’s analysis validates prior concerns from pro-life groups about an increase of taxpayer-funded abortions under Obamacare, particularly when those states expand their Medicaid program under the health care law.”

An initial analysis by CLI from 2013 calculated that overall about 6 million women could potentially gain coverage for abortion under Obamacare, with half of those due to state Medicaid expansion. In 2014, CLI joined with Family Research Council to launch ObamacareAbortion.com, an online resource for the general public to make up for the administration’s lack of transparency on abortion coverage in health insurance plans.

Charlotte Lozier Institute was launched in 2011 as the education and research arm of Susan B. Anthony List. CLI is a hub for research and public policy analysis on some of the most pressing issues facing the United States and nations around the world. The Institute is named for a feminist physician known for her commitment to the sanctity of human life and equal career and educational opportunities for women. (See ” Alaska Medicaid Expansion Would Significantly Increase Taxpayer-Funded Abortions”, originally posted HERE)

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Frozen Assets: Inside the Spy War for Control of the Arctic

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Photo Credit: Foreign Policy

Photo Credit: Foreign Policy

In August 2014, two Norwegian scientists set off with 21 tons of supplies—food, equipment to measure ocean depth, an instrument to clock water currents, computers, and a specially designed hovercraft named Sabvabaa (Inuit for “flows swiftly over it”)—loaded onto a jagged-edged slab of ice about 200 miles from the North Pole. Unlike their cargo, the researchers’ plan was simple: For the upcoming months, the frozen island would float aimlessly, ferrying a then 72-year-old Yngve Kristoffersen and his younger colleague, Audun Tholfsen, around the Arctic, taking them where even icebreakers could not go.

They were there to drill hydroholes through the ice, film the ocean floor, and collect sediment cores that are millions of years old. After weeks adrift, their ice floe eventually led them into an Arctic no man’s land where temperatures can drop to minus 45 degrees Celsius and trigger powerful gales. The two men were alone but for the occasional white fox. That’s why, in October 2014, the hardy researchers were stunned to spot something unmistakable about two miles from their base: visitors.

As the scientists approached lights they had spotted in the distance, they made out the hulking black bow and sail of a submarine poking up through the ice. But before they reached the site, it quickly disappeared. Based on photographs taken by the scientists, the Norwegian team later determined that the vessel was likely the Orenburg, a Russian sub—which carries with it a nuclear-powered mini-sub—used for deep-dive intelligence missions . . .

The run-in was anything but coincidental. Like Kristoffersen and Tholfsen, the Orenburg was there to drill into undersea ranges in order to collect geological samples from the Lomonosov Ridge, a little-known underwater mountain chain that rises about 12,000 feet above the seabed and stretches for more than 1,000 miles. Under and around this formation lies nearly a quarter of the Earth’s remaining fossil fuel resources. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the Arctic holds a staggering 13 percent of the world’s undiscovered oil, approximately 90 billion barrels, as well as 30 percent of its natural gas, or about 1,669 trillion cubic feet.

Worth an estimated $17.2 trillion, an amount roughly equivalent to the entire U.S. economy, these resources have been trapped for eons under a dome of ice and snow. . . (Read more from “Frozen Assets: Inside the Spy War for Control of the Arctic” HERE)

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Foss Maritime Fights to Host Shell’s Drilling Rigs in Seattle

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downloadFoss Maritime said Friday it plans to appeal the city’s decision that the Port of Seattle needs a new land-use permit to host Royal Dutch Shell’s Arctic drilling fleet at Terminal 5.

Mayor Ed Murray said Monday the Port needs a new permit because the current permit allows for cargo loading and unloading — not for maintaining and supplying oil-drilling rigs.

Foss argues, however, that the current permit for Terminal 5 allows port customers to tie up vessels so goods and cargo can be stored, loaded and unloaded, “which is precisely what Foss is doing at Terminal 5,” the company said in the statement.

The company estimates the appeal process will take months to complete. In the meantime Foss intends to move ahead with its operations at Terminal 5 as Shell prepares for the summer oil-exploration season in Alaska.

“The city’s position is not supported by the plain language of the permit at issue, and will cause long-term harm to the maritime industry as a whole,” Foss said in the release. “This action is akin to the mayor ordering Seattle City Light to cut off all electricity to Amazon on the Friday after Thanksgiving.” (Read more from “Foss Maritime Fights to Host Shell’s Drilling Rigs in Seattle” HERE)

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